Author Archives: Jeff Lindsay
(Growing Out of Control)by Jeff LindsayNussbaum on Design (BusinessWeek) has a thought-provoking column that mentions several innovation principles from designer Diego Rodriquez. One of these is “Killing good ideas is a good idea.” That’s the kind of counter-intuitive blasphemy that merits reflection. Of course, developing good ideas is essential, but without the killing phase, good ideas can lead to “idea cancer.” Ideas from late-stage idea cancer strangle many organizations and many minds – when ideas grow without control, unregulated and unchecked by proper objectives and reality. Ideas can metastasize and choke the arteries of business, cloud the mind, and weaken all life support systems in the end, unless they are regulated and killed at the appropriate time. So many great failures begin with good ideas, and lots of them. Innovation is often more about execution and planning than idea generation. A weak idea, implemented ITERATIVELY with the right talent, can … Continue reading
Interview – Jeff Lindsay of “Conquering Innovation Fatigue”I had the opportunity to interview Jeff Lindsay, one of the co-authors of “Conquering Innovation Fatigue” about the recession, innovation challenges that organizations face, the role of government in innovation, and needs of the innovation workforce.Looking across the broad range of our conversation, the importance of alignment is probably the thread that ties it all together.My book review of “Conquering Innovation Fatigue” can be found here.Here is the text from the interview:1. What is the biggest challenge that companies face in the Great Recession?Apart from looming external factors beyond their control, I would say that the biggest challenges that they can control are various combinations of fear and pride. Fear of markets, of change, of the unknown, etc., tends to paralyze at precisely the moment when vigorous action is needed. Pride also hinders needed change. When a company has unhealthy optimism in its … Continue reading
